by Lance Jennings
SANTA MARIA, CA – APRIL 10, 2013… This Saturday, April 13th, the USAC West Coast Sprint Car Series will make their third of five appearances at Tulare’s Thunderbowl Raceway. The lightning fast 1/3-mile clay oval will also showcase the winged Rebel Cup 360 Sprints and popular IMCA Modifieds. The Front Gates will open at 5:00pm, Hotlaps is 6:00pm followed by time trials, and Racing is scheduled to begin at 7:00pm.
Since March 2010, fourteen USAC West Coast Sprint Car races have been held at Thunderbowl Raceway. With four main event wins, Bud Kaeding has enjoyed the most success and can claim the point lead with a victory on Saturday. Dean Alexander, Craig Stidham, Richard Vander Weerd, Peter Murphy, Ryan Bernal, and Kyle Larson have also scored feature wins at Tulare.
Hollister’s Ryan Bernal holds a fourteen point advantage heading into Saturday’s action. Driving Keith Ford’s #73 King Racing Products / A&A Precision Machine Spike, Bernal swept Tulare’s March doubleheader and was second at Bakersfield on March 23rd. To date, the former Rookie of the Year has two heat race victories, one Woodland Auto Display Dash win, five top-5 finishes, and 39 feature laps led. Ryan will be one of the favorites to watch on Saturday.
Bud Kaeding of Campbell is second in the championship standings. Racing Junior Bowman’s #29 Buster & Ziggy Enterprises / Kaeding Performance Bullet, Kaeding scored third in the Bakersfield main event. The 3-time USAC Silver Crown Champion has two heat race victories, one Woodland Auto Display Dash win, and five top-10 finishes on the year. Bud will be looking to claim his first victory of the season at Thunderbowl Raceway.
Sitting third in the point chase is Visalia’s Jace Vander Weerd. Driving the family owned #88 Vander Weerd Construction / Battery Worx Maxim, the former USAC/CRA Rookie of the Year was fourth in his first Bakersfield start. With one heat race victory and three top-5 finishes on the season, Vander Weerd will have his sights on adding a Tulare feature win to his resume.
After claiming the Bakersfield victory, Richard Vander Weerd of Visalia is fourth in the standings. Piloting the family owned #10 Vander Weerd Construction / Battery Worx Maxim, Richard has one heat race victory, one Woodland Auto Display Dash win, two hard charger awards, four top-5 finishes, and 29 feature laps led. Vander Weed will be looking for his second Tulare USAC West Coast feature win on Saturday.
Tipton’s “Hollywood” Danny Faria Jr. is fifth in the point standings. Driving his #17V Johnston Calf Pens / DeBoer & Sons Trucking Spike, “Hollywood” rebounded to claim seventh in the Bakersfield main event. To date, Faria has one heat race victory, three top-10 finishes, and one feature lap led on the season. With veteran Crew Chief Vinnie Lattner, Danny will have his sights a Tulare win and making a bid for the championship.
Among the other drivers expected to be in action are “The Rickster” Ricky Kirkbride, “The Bakersfield Bullet” Rusty Carlile, Markus Niemela, Austin Liggett, Rookie Contender Landon Hurst, Jonathan Logan, “The Wild Child” Chris Ennis, Marty Hawkins, Andy Ferris, Jeff Sibley, Matt Day, and many more.
Tulare’s Thunderbowl Raceway is located at the Tulare County Fairgrounds at the corner of Bardsley and K Streets. Advance tickets are on sale and can be purchased by calling the track office at (559) 688-0909. For more event information, visit the track’s website at www.tularethunderbowl.com.
The USAC West Coast Sprint Car Series would like to thank Southwest Contractors, Hoosier Tire, Amsoil, BR Motorsports, Chris Kearns Presents, Competition Suspension Inc., DJ Safety, Diversified Machine Inc., Extreme Mufflers, Five Star Grafix, Keizer Wheels, King Racing Products, Racing Optics, Rod End Supply, Rugged Radios, SBI Fuel Systems, Saldana Racing Products, Weld Racing, and Woodland Auto Display for their support. If you or your company would like to become part of the series in 2013, email PR Director Lance Jennings at lwjennings@earthlink.net.
For more information on the USAC West Coast Sprint Car Series, visit www.westcoastsprintcars.com, www.usacracing.com, or follow the series on Facebook (www.facebook.com/#!/pages/
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USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS:
1. Ryan Bernal-198; 2. Bud Kaeding-185; 3. Jace Vander Weerd-169; 4. Richard Vander Weerd-166; 5. Danny Faria Jr.-163; 6. Ricky Kirkbride-127; 7. Rusty Carlile-118; 8. Markus Niemela-117; 9. Austin Liggett-114; 10. Landon Hurst-113; 11. Jonathan Logan-107; 12. Chris Ennis-101; 13. Brody Roa-97; 14. Marty Hawkins-79; 15. Andy Ferris-76; 16. Jeff Sibley-69; 17. Matt Day-65; 18. Jim Richardson-61; Kevin Barnes-61; 20. Joe Stornetta-39.